Method and apparatus for performing dynamic mechanical analyses

Abstract

In a dynamic mechanical analysis, a test specimen (2) is coupled to an excitation device (4) by means of a holder device (3). The excitation device (4) applies an excitation force comprised of a static pre-tensioning force component and a time-variable force component to the test specimen, and a deformation of the test specimen (2) is measured by means of one or more displacement sensors (5). The method includes a test phase with the steps: applying the excitation force to the test specimen; while said excitation force is in effect, determining at least one decision parameter, said decision parameter being indicative of a degree of slack in said coupling of the test specimen; comparing said decision parameter to at least one reference value; based on said comparison, determining whether or not the test specimen is coupled to the excitation device in a completely slack-free state, so that physical values derived from said measurements of the deformation will not be subject to errors caused by an insufficient amount of said pre-tensioning force component.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method of performing dynamic mechanical analyses, wherein a specimen under investigation is held in a holder device and is subjected to a static pre-tensioning force and a time-variable excitation force generated by an excitation device, and wherein the deformation of the specimen is measured by means of one or more displacement sensors. The invention further relates to an apparatus for performing the method. Included in the apparatus are a controller device that directs and controls the analysis process, a holder device for holding the specimen, an excitation device that allows a static pre-tensioning force and a time-variable excitation force to be applied to the specimen, and one or more displacement sensors to measure the deformation of the specimen.[0002] Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) are used to determine visco-elastic material properties. To perform a dynamic mechanical analysis, the samples to be investigated are clamped in specimen hold...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] It is therefore the objective of the present invention to propose a method and an apparatus that keep a dynamic mechanical analysis free of the kinds of errors that are introduced by incorrectly selected levels of pre-tension.

[0008] In a dynamic-mechanical analysis method according to the invention, a test specimen is held in a holder device and subjected to a static pre-tensioning force and a time-variable excitation force, and the deformation of the specimen is measured by one or more displacement sensors. The method includes the steps that during application of a variable excitation force one or more decision parameters are determined and compared to one or more given reference values, and that the comparison is used to determine whether or not the test specimen is completely coupled to the excitation device, i.e., in a completely slack-free state, so that the physical values derived from the measurements will not be subject to errors caused by insufficient amounts of pre-tension.

[0009] A dynamic-mechanical analysis apparatus according to the invention includes a control device that directs and controls the analysis process, a holder device to hold the test specimen, an excitation device to apply a static pre-tensioning force and a time-variable excitation force to the test specimen, and at least one displacement sensor to measure the deformation of the test specimen. The control device includes means whereby during application of a variable excitation force one or more decision parameters are determined and compared to one or more given reference values. The result of the comparison is presented in a form that makes it evident whether or not the test specimen is completely coupled to the excitation device so that the physical values derived from the measurements will not have errors caused by insufficient amounts of pre-tension.

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the invention includes a step where following a measurement to determine physical properties of a specimen, the pre-tensioning force is lowered and the one or more decision parameters are evaluated until an asymmetry is found that indicates an insufficient level of pre-tension. At this point, the pre-tensioning force is raised slightly until the asymmetry disappears, so that a sound measurement can be performed for the determination of physical values of the test specimen. This procedure is advantageous in particular for measurements where the temperature approaches the glass transition temperature, because it prevents the pre-tensioning force during the entire measurement series from becoming too high for the progressively softening test specimen and causing an excessive elongation of the latter.

Problems solved by technology

If the pre-tension is less than a minimally required pre-tensioning force, the specimen is not coupled correctly to the excitation device.

In this condition, even a small increase of the force can cause a relatively large amount of displacement, but because of the faulty clamping of the test specimen the displacement does not represent an effective tensile elongation of the entire specimen.

Analogously, a damping constant of an elastic specimen can only be determined at a sufficiently large pre-tensioning force.

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